Sweet Corn Tomalito - Just like Chevy's - YUMMM!!!

Anyone go to Chevy's? You know, the Mexican Restaurant? They have this corn stuff that comes with most meals - it's called Sweet Corn Tomalito. It's sooo good, but they only give you like a tablespoon of it, if you're lucky. Well, now you can make it yourself...at home....and eat as much as you like! And, like I promised you....I actually took pictures. Here it is...















Sweet Corn Tomalito

Ingredients:
5 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/4 cup masa (corn flour) (Remember, this is the same stuff you used to make flour tortillas. It's NOT cornmeal - it's corn FLOUR - you can get it at many large supermarkets and any ethnic market).
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen, thawed
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. milk

Directions:
1. In a small mixing bowl, mix the butter, masa, and sugar using an electirc mixer until light and fluffy. About 1 minute.
2. In a blender, blend half of the corn kernels with the water until smooth.
3. Combine this mixture with the butter mixture, stirring well.
4. Add the remaining corn kerrnels, corn meal, baking powder, salt and milk and mix well.
5. Pour the corn mixture into an 8 inch square baking pan. tightly cover with foil. Steam by setting atop a medium sauce pan of water on top of the stove. Bring water to a boil and steam corn mixture for 50 minutes to one hour. Keep an eye on the water, you may need to add more. (There are other methods for cooking. Apparently, the "Chevy's Cookbook" says you can preheat oven 250 degree F. Place covered dish in a larger roasting pan filled with so water is 3/4 of inch up side of baking dish. Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I'm sure you can use a double boiler. That's basically what I did, but since I didn't have a double boiler, I lined the steamer basket of a pot/basket set - see the pictures.)
6. It is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Tomalito should have a smooth, moist texture.
* Note: the pan must be tightly wrapped at all times.

Flan and Meringues

While we're on the Mexican thing - let's do flan. I actually went out and bought little ramekins (AKA - cute little individual-sized ceramic baking dishes). Granted, I was going to go shopping at the cooking store anyway (birthday money...what else?). So, along with a bunch of other great stuff, I got these little dishes just for this very purpose.


And what's the deal with my title - "Flan and Meringues"? Well, flan uses 10 egg yolks. I HATE wasting food. So, what are you supposed to do with all the egg whites? You could freeze them in a baggie (I do that all the time), or better yet, why not make Meringues? They are sooo yummy and so easy and you get so messy (FUN and delicious messy) while you're making them. AND, if you keep them in an airtight container, they last FOREVER. So, I'll post the recipe below. I used a decorating tip (you can use a cookie press, too) and they came out looking perfect - just like the ones from Trader Joe's. This picture is NOT of my meringues (actually, mine looked even MORE perfect...yes, I'm bragging).


Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the flan either, so you'll have to imagine it. Or look it up online - there must be a thousand pictures out there. I promise to be better in the future about taking pictures of my creations.


I had never made custard before, so this was definitely a new adventure for me. All in all, it turned out well. I don't really get the part where you turn the custard out onto a dish and a bunch of VERY hard, carmelized sugar remains in the baking dish. I mean, a nice amount comes out and drips down the sides of the custard, but still.... a lot of it just stays in the dish. In fact, I had a heck of a time trying to figure out how to get it out. You can't break it with a knife (it's THAT hard). You can't really hit it with a hammer (it's in a ceramic dish, mind you). But what did end up working like a charm for this clean-up job was very hot water. My tap, fortunately, produces REALLY hot, steaming water. I just ran that in the dish for a minute or so and it re-melted and washed away all that sticky caramel. If you don't have really hot tap water, I'm not sure what to tell you. Letting boiled water sit in the dish might work, but it has to be repeated several times (boil, soak, rinse, etc). Not sure why that is. But the running hot water definitely worked like a charm.


WHY am I even talking this much about cleanup when you haven't even had a chance to enjoy the product. I gave some to my neighbors (one of whom is hispanic) and they said it was the best flan they had ever had - ANYWHERE! By far. I'm not bragging (I didn't invent it, after all). But I'm just saying - this is really, really good and your PEOPLE (friends, family, neighbors) will love it. Next time, maybe the enchiladas recipe...how's that sound? But for now...here's the flan -


Flan

INGREDIENTS:
10 egg yolks
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 to 1/2 cups sugar
(maybe 1 tsp vanilla if you want) (I did add vanilla and it was great)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. You will need 6 ramekins or other specialty flan cook ware and a large baking pan to put them in.
2. Pour sugar in warm pan over medium heat. (Be REALLY careful with the heat here. It's a fine line between carmelized sugar and burnt sugar. In fact, mine was a tiny bit bitter, which means it was a bit burnt. It still tasted great, but it could easily have been ruined. Keep the heat fairly low - better safe than sorry). Don’t stir sugar, but swirl sugar around until it browns and becomes caramel. (The point of not stirring the sugar has to do with the fact that you don't want to stir the non-melted sugar (like some that may be stuck on the side of the pan) into the melted sugar. I guess it throws off the whole process. Let it melt together as it naturally wants to - don't force it. Frankly, I think I stirred it a bit toward the end, and it was fine - just be aware). Quickly pour approximately 2-3 tablespoons of caramel in each ramekin, tilting it to swirl the caramel around the sides. Reheat caramel if it starts to harden (other recipes say to let the caramel harden in the bottom of the ramekins before pouring the custard in. I say it doesn't matter. It will melt when it's cooking anyway).
3. Whisk together the yolks, condensed milk, and evaporated milk (and vanilla if you want); set aside.
4. Pour custard into caramel lined ramekins. Place ramekins in a large glass or ceramic baking dish and fill with about 1-2 inches of hot water. Bake for 45 minutes in the water bath and check with a knife just to the side of the center. If knife comes out clean, it's ready.
5. Remove and let cool. Let each ramekin cool in refrigerator for 1 hour (this is a little tricky. You HAVE to wait for the custard to harden. But don't wait forever, because the caramel sauce has to still be a liquid. Some of mine took longer than an hour. Like I said, the custard HAS to be set (that's not optional), so that should be your guide as to when to turn the custard out on to a plate. Also, I found that it helps to run a sharp knife around the outside edge of the custard before you turn it over - it comes out smoothly). Invert each ramekin onto a small plate, the caramel sauce will flow over the custard.

Authentic French Meringues
(I did this recipe times 2 1/2, so I could use up my 10 egg whites. You will need at least 2 LARGE baking sheets to fit all the meringues this makes)

INGREDIENTS:
4 egg whites
2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS: (Please read all the tips at the bottom first - they really help).

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). Butter and flour a baking sheet (for this particular recipe, I really did butter and flour the baking sheets, as opposed to using PAM. I figured that since egg whites are so delicate and have little flavor of their own, they would probably pick up the flavor of the PAM, which I wouldn't want. Now, butter, on the other hand, tastes great, so that was my choice.)
In a glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy using an electric mixer. Sprinkle in sugar a little at a time, while continuing to whip at medium speed. When the mixture becomes stiff and shiny like satin, stop mixing, and transfer the mixture to a large pastry bag. Pipe the meringue out onto the prepared baking sheet using a large round tip or star tip. (If you don't have a fancy thing to pipe out the meringue, just use a spoon and make a dollop (AKA "a plop") on the baking sheet).
Place the meringues in the oven and place a wooden spoon handle in the door to keep it from closing all the way. Bake for 3 hours, or until the meringues are dry, and can easily be removed from the pan. (it only took me just a little over 2 hours - check once in a while and taste one to see if it's done to your liking - this is pretty loose, since they'll either be dry, or dryer. That's the nature of a meringue. You can't over dry them, I don't think. But I suppose you could burn the bottoms, so that' a good reason to check on them after a couple of hours. If the bottoms are getting brown, they're either done or your oven's too hot). Allow cookies to cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature.

EGG WHITE TIPS:
1. Use a clean, dry bowl. The bowl must be grease-free, because any trace amount of fat will wreck a meringue. Glass, ceramic, stainless steel, and copper bowls are all suitable. Plastic bowls may appear clean, but may still have trace amounts of oil, so do not use them.
2. Cold eggs separate easily, but eggs whip to a higher volume when at room temperature. The solution is to separate the cold eggs, and then set them aside for 10 or 15 minutes.
3. Separate each egg into two small bowls, one for the white and one for the yolk, and then add the white portion to the larger bowl. This allows you to reserve any with broken yolks for another purpose. Even a small amount of yolk can deflate the egg whites, so be careful.

TIPS For A Basic Meringue:
Cream of tartar, white vinegar, or lemon juice can all be used to stabilize a meringue.
1. Add 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar per egg white to the unbeaten eggs. (If you're using a copper bowl to make your meringue, don't add any acid: it can react with the copper and discolor the egg foam.) (I used a dash of lemon juice - just a small dash (maybe a Tbsp) - it worked well and I knew that even if a little tiny bit of lemon flavor remained in the finished product, it wouldn't bother me. As it turns out, no lemon flavor remained - it was just pure sugar!)
2. Whip to medium-soft peaks. Beat in 2 tablespoons white sugar per egg white. Continue to beat until egg whites are glossy and hold a firm peak.
3. Adding sugar early in the beating process results in a firmer, finer-textured meringue.

Homemade Corn Tortillas

Did you like the flour tortillas? Well, here's the corn version. It's super simple, like the flour ones, but you do have to have a special ingredient - Corn Masa Mix, or Corn Flour. It's not the same as cornmeal, so don't try to substitute. My regular supermarket carries it - the brand name is "Maseca". But if your market doesn't have it, go to any hispanic or ethnic-focused market and they should have it. It's a staple for certain cultures. Alrighty - have fun and enjoy...

DISCLAIMER (yes, I know I like to use disclaimers...) - this recipe is pretty much copied from another website. I'm just sharing it with you here, along with any personal notes I made.

Homemade Corn Tortilla Recipe
Makes 10 to 12 tortillas (6 to 7 inch)

Ingredients:
2 cups Maseca Corn Masa Mix
1 tsp. sea salt (come on - let's get real. I just used regular salt)
1 1/4 cup hot water plus 2 to 3 tablespoons
1 tsp. shortening (who uses shortening? I just used butter -worked great. No wait....maybe I used vegetable oil -...yes, I think I did. Normally you can't substitute oils for shortening (because oil is a liquid at room temperature, while shortening is solid - it's an important distinction). But in this case, it's mostly just for moisture and flavor, so oil worked fine).
Directions:
Mix the masa harina (corn flour, not to be confused with corn meal) and salt in a medium sized bowl. Measure 1 1/4 cups of boiling water and the shortening into a separate pan or bowl. Stir until the shortening is melted.
Pour this mixture into the bowl of corn flour and mix with a fork.
When the mixture is cool enough to touch (a couple of minutes) mix the dough with your hands. The dough will probably be a little dry. Add hot water one teaspoon at a time until the dough stays together and doesn't crumble apart.
Knead the dough for one or two minutes. Play with the consistency by adding more water if needed. What you want is a dough that is moist enough to stay together but not too sticky.

If you have a tortilla press - now's the time to get it out. If not, don't worry. You can do this with a rolling pin and it's a lot easier than the flour tortillas. This dough is more friendly.

Make Golf Balls
Pinch off some dough and roll into smooth round balls (golf ball size) with your hands. I would suggest covering the dough you're not working with, with either plastic saran wrap or damp paper towels to keep the dough from drying out while you are making the dough balls.

Flatten the ball a bit in the palm of your hand. At this point, you should be pre-heating a cast iron or comal pan over medium high to high heat. No oil or PAM or anything is needed in the pan.

Pressing The Dough
(works the same with a press or without -if using a roller, simply roll dough between plastic sheets). If you are using a tortilla press, first get yourself a Ziploc type bag. Sandwich size or gallon size will work. I like to use this type of plastic because it is thicker and easier to work with. Cut it in half so you have two separate pieces. Lay one piece on the press and then place the slightly flattened dough on top, a little bit closer to the hinge of the lid like in the picture.

Cover the dough with the second piece of plastic and close the lid to flatten the tortilla. Carefully peel the top piece of plastic from the tortilla. Lift the tortilla and the bottom piece of plastic from the press and place it in your hand, dough side down. Now carefully peel the bottom piece of plastic from the tortilla.

I did not have any problem with the dough sticking to the plastic. If you do, it probably means your dough is too wet. Try adding a sprinkle of corn flour and kneading the dough a bit more.

Cooking The Tortillas
Place your tortilla in the preheated cast iron pan or comal and cook for 45 seconds to a minute then turn over and cook for another 45 seconds or longer. (the timing totally depends on the heat of your stove and pan - it can vary quite a bit. I cooked mine a bit longer).
Place cooked tortillas in foil and cover with a clean kitchen towel to keep warm. Store tortillas in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator for several days.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Don't freak out - they're actually really simple to make. I won't say easy because rolling them out took a little doing, and a little patience. But seriously, the dough was soooo easy and the tortillas are sooo worth it. Yummmm....

So, today, it's flour tortillas. Next time, I'll share the corn tortilla recipe and after that... (drum roll please)... sweet corn tomalito. It's just like the one at Chevy's - maybe even better. So stay tuned. And now, flour tortillas:

Homemade Flour Tortillas

2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vegetable oil or non-hydrogenated lard
3/4 cup lukewarm milk

In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add vegetable oil to the lukewarm milk and whisk briefly to incorporate. Gradually add the milk to the flour mixture, and using clean hands, work into a sticky dough.
Turn dough out onto a surface dusted with flour and knead vigorously for about 2 minutes or until the dough is no longer sticky.

Return dough to bowl, cover with a damp cloth and allow to rest for 10 -20 minutes so that it will be easier to roll out.

Divide dough into 8 balls of equal size, cover them, and let them rest again for about 20 minutes. Avoid letting them touch, if you don't want them to stick together.

Dust a clean pastry board or working surface with flour.

NOTE: I found a great tip online to help make the next step a lot easier. A small disclaimer here - this worked really well with corn tortillas. I'm assuming it'll work with flour tortillas, but you'll have to be the guinea pig on this one! You can take a large freezer bag (gallon size) and cut it in half. The thick plastic works better than saran wrap. Place the dough in between the two halves and roll it out that way (in between two sheets of plastic). Then, to remove the tortilla from the plastic, peel the top layer off. Pick it up and flip it over, so the tortilla dough is against your hand. Peel the 2nd sheet of plastic off with your other hand. Plop it right from your hand into the hot pan.

One at a time, remove each piece of dough. Press it out into a 5-inch circle. Using a flour dusted rolling pin, roll out the tortilla from the center out until the tortilla measures a little less than 1/4 inch thick and is a 7 or 8 inch circle (the challenge is that this dough wants to bounce back. It's takes some patience to keep rolling it, letting it bounce back, then rolling it again. Eventually, it does get bigger. If you plan on making this more often (and I'm considering it), then you might consider getting a tortilla press. They're not very expensive (maybe $20 or so online), and they make the process a lot easier. Even without the press, though, this really was one of the easiest recipes I've ever made.)

Transfer the tortilla to a dry preheated skillet or griddle. when the tortilla begins to blister, allow it to cook for 30 seconds, flip it, and cook the other side the same way. (I cooked them longer - about a minute on each side).

Remove tortilla, place it in on a clean paper towel and cover loosely with foil. Repeat for remaining tortillas.

Tortillas freeze well. Wrap tightly in plastic, removing any air pockets. Keeps frozen for several weeks.

To serve tortillas which have been frozen, thaw at room temperature, wrap in foil and heat in a warm oven.

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

Mmmmm.....cookies. Speaking of mmmmm, I saw a baby "onesie" today that read, "mmmmm....boobies". Very funny, I think!

Anyhow, we will not be talking about that here. I'm talkin' cookies - peanut butter cookies. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of peanut butter cookies in general. I made these because my husband, Jay, loves them. And, he did love these. The recipe I got online said to only bake them for about 10 minutes (some suggested even less), so that they're soft. They say that they are soft when they come out of the oven, and then the outside firms up, while the inside stays soft. My experience was that they were soft and stayed soft. My hubby still loves them, but they're not the firmness that I would choose. That's why I recommend baking them 10 to 15 minutes (or even more, so long as you keep an eye on them and don't let them burn). But, of course, if you like soft peanut butter cookies (and a lot of people do), then bake them for 10 minutes or slightly less.

Here's the recipe:

CLASSIC PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsalted butter
1 ½ cups crunchy peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

DIRECTIONS
Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into batter. Put batter in refrigerator for 1 hour.
Roll into 1 inch balls and dip each ball in granulated sugar. With sugared side up, put on baking sheets. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern. Bake in a preheated 350 or 375 degrees F oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until cookies begin to brown.

Ham and Basil Pasta with Cream Sauce

Hey, y'all! Sorry I haven't written in a little while. I've actually been cooking up a storm. I have lots of recipes to share with you. Let's do them one at a time, though, shall we?

So, I had the girls over the other night for our book group. We do talk about "the book", but it's mostly an excuse to get together and eat and talk. That's what girls do best!

Now, here's the story of this pasta..."Here's the story....of a lovely pasta..." (cue music) - JUST KIDDING. But seriously, I was at Panera Bread when I smelled this smell that was not only delicious, but it totally reminded me of a recipe I used to make like 20 years ago. I learned it in high school. For the life of me, I could not remember what it was. It came a piece at a time. First, I realized it was pasta. Then, the ham and basil. Then parmesan. Then mushrooms, and on and on like that. It took me about a day of mind probing to even begin to recall the recipe, but it did finally come together. I think this version is a bastardized version of what I once knew, but it turned out pretty good, so ... whatever. I warn you - it's a bit complicated - not HARD, just complicated and it takes a bit of time. AND, the recipe easily feeds 10, so feel free to cut it down to size.

Ham and Basil Pasta with Cream Sauce
(makes 10 servings)

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil (or any oil you like the flavor of)
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cloves shallot, minced
8 Tbsp Butter (separated out into 6 Tbsp and 2 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp Flour
1 cup dry white wine or chicken stock (depends on your taste – I completely left this out and it still turned out great)
2 cups heavy cream (Don't substitute a lighter milk product here unless you REALLY know your way around creams and sauces. Only heavy cream thickens when simmered. Other milk products will separate or react in other undesirable ways, so you'd have to be very confident about your alternative method of thickening the sauce).
2 packages sliced mushrooms (20 oz)
1 ½ cup peas (cooked, but not overcooked or mushy)
25-30 leaves fresh basil, chopped (you can’t have too much)
8 to 12 oz cooked ham, chopped into small squares or cubes
2 – 12 oz. packages of farfalle (or your favorite pasta)
2 cups fresh grated parmesan (you can substitute some (preferably not all) of the processed stuff in the green can, too. It’s actually not bad in this)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
NOTE: It’s probably a good idea to prepare everything ahead of time (chop garlic and shallots, chop ham, grate cheese, chop basil, etc.)
1. Heat water for pasta and cook the pasta according to the package directions while you do the rest of the stuff in the recipe.
2. Cook peas according to directions (don’t overcook. You don’t want them to be mushy). Set aside.
3. Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a pan. Add ham. Sautee on high heat until slightly browned (stirring often). Set aside.
4. Heat cream in heavy bottom large saucepan or pot, over very low heat. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. (DO NOT LET IT BOIL – JUST A VERY GENTLY SIMMER. Boiling will cause it to separate).
5. While heating cream in a separate pan, place garlic, shallots, and 6 Tbsp butter in another pan and cook over low/medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often. Remember, garlic burns really easily! Add 1 tbsp flour and stir. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. This will cook the flour taste out of the mixture. Add chicken stock or wine to the garlic butter mixture and let it reduce over low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes. – I completely forgot to add the chicken stock or wine and it turned out fine anyway. I think it just gives it more flavor, which I made up for later by adding extra salt.
6. Add chicken stock mixture to cream. Stir. Cook over very low heat for about 2 minutes or until thickened (stirring often)
7. If you have another (very large) pan for sautéing, then get that out now. Otherwise, if you’re like me and have only one large fantastic pan (we’ll call that “pan A”), then move the cream sauce mixture to another pan (we’ll call that…you guessed it, “pan B”) and wipe the cream out of pan A. We will use that large and fabulous pan A to sauté the mushrooms. Place 2 Tbsp butter and all of the mushrooms in the large pan and sauté until cooked, stirring occasionally (about 3 to 5 minutes). The length of time really depends on how you like your mushrooms. Add salt and pepper to taste while cooking (black pepper goes great with mushrooms).
8. In whichever pot is biggest, combine cooked pasta, cream sauce mixture, ham, peas, basil, mushrooms (including their sauce in the pan), and parmesan. Stir it all together and add salt and pepper to taste.

INCIDENTALLY – processed parmesan cheese is actually great in this recipe, if you use it to supplement the fresh stuff. I wouldn’t go all processed, although it would taste fine. Fresh stuff really adds a lot. You can sprinkle the processed stuff on top, or add some in to the pasta mixture to taste.

Linzer Cookies - They May Just Be Worth The Effort

I got a craving for these cookies the other day. My Dad has a Hungarian restaurant and they used to make them all the time - Linzer Cookies. If you're not familiar with them, they're basically a buttery, nutty cookie sandwich, with rasberry jam in the middle, topped with powdered sugar. They're very European. You can get some at the store - I'm pretty sure Pepperidge Farm makes them - but they're not the same as the real thing. After I first made these, I thought "this is definitely not worth the effort". Sometimes, it's fun just to make something and say that you made it, all the while knowing that you probably won't do it again because it's not worth all the work. But after eating these for a couple of days, I have to say I've changed my mind. They are totally worth it! Give it a try if you have a little time. I made the dough and let it sit in the refridgerator overnight. That makes it seem like less work because you're not doing it all at once. Here it is - enjoy!

Linzer Cookies

1 cup (110 grams) blanched or sliced almonds, toasted and ground (hazelnuts, or pecans can also be used)
2 cups (280 grams) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (227 grams) (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup (135 grams) granulated white sugar, divided
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks
Zest of 1 lemon (Note: Lemon Zest is the yellow outer rind of the lemon that contains the fruit's flavor and perfume. Can be removed with a citrus zester or grater. When removing the outer rind (zest) do not remove the white pith, which is very bitter and inedible.)
Confectioners' (Icing or Powdered) Sugar for dusting
1/2 cup seedless Raspberry or Black Currant Preserves or Jam (can use other flavored preserves or jam)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Toast the almonds (or pecans) on a baking sheet for about 8-10 minutes (or until lightly browned and fragrant). If using hazelnuts, toast them for 15 minutes or until fragrant and the skins begin to flake. (This next step is for hazelnuts or WHOLE almonds only...) Remove from oven and place the hot nuts in a dish towel. Roll up the towel and let the nuts sit (steam) for five minutes then rub the nuts in the towel briskly to remove the skins.

Once the nuts have cooled, place in a food processor and process with 1/4 cup (50 grams) of the sugar from the recipe until finely ground. (the sugar is important here because it soaks up the moisture from the nuts and keeps your mixture from turning into paste). Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and remaining sugar until light and fluffy (approximately 3 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract, egg yolks, and lemon zest. Beat in the ground nuts. Add the flour mixture beating just until incorporated.

Divide the dough in half and shape into two rectangles. Roll out a long sheet of plastic wrap and place one of the dough rectangles on it. Roll out another sheet of plastic wrap about the same size and place on top. The original recipe said to roll out (with your hands or a roller) each half of the dough into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle, stick it in the fridge and let it firm up, then roll it thinner, into a 1/4 thick rectangle. I found that a firm dough is impossible to work with. It just cracked and broke when I tried to roll it thinner. I basically had to warm it up again to be able to roll it out. THEREFORE, I recommend just rolling the dough out (on a lightly floured surface, of course) into the 1/4 thickness that you want (it's pretty thick), and put it into the fridge at that thickness. Then, when you're ready to cut it, it will be firm and ready for cutting, but won't need to be rolled out anymore. Incidentally, you can leave this dough in the fridge for several days if you want to, before you cut it.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Using a 2 to 3 inch (5 to 7.5 cm) cookie cutter (round, square, heart, etc.) cut out the dough. Place the cookies about 1 inch (2.54 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheet. Use a smaller cookie cutter (3/4 - 1 inch (2.54 cm)) to cut out the centers of half of the cookies on the baking sheet. (You will be sandwiching two cookies together and there will be a small 'window or cut out' in the top cookie so you can see the jam underneath.) (FYI - I used a scalloped edge biscuit cutter for the main cookie cutter and an apple corer for the center hole. It was the perfect size and shape).

Reroll any scraps and cut out the cookies. Remove the other half of the dough from the refrigerator and roll and cut out the rest of the cookies. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes or until they are very lightly browned. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. (as usual, it took me a little longer in the oven).

While the cookies are cooling place the raspberry jam in a small saucepan and heat gently until it has thickened slightly. Strain if there are any lumps in the jam. Let cool. (I've got to be honest with you - I have no idea what the purpose of this is. I used "jam" (as opposed to preserves or jelly), and when it cooled, it was exactly the same consistency as it had been when I took it out of the refrigerator. It seems like a needless step and in fact, I ran out of "cooked" jelly and used some straight out of the jar for the rest and I couldn't tell the difference.)

To Assemble Cookies: Place the cookies with the cut-outs on a wire rack and lightly dust the tops with the confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar.

On the bottom surface of the full cookie (top of cookie will face out) spread with about a 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of jam. Place the cut-out cookie on top and gently sandwich them together, making sure not to smug the confectioners' sugar. Using a small spoon, fill the cut-out with a little more jam.

Note: You can store the unassembled cookies in the refrigerator for several days in an airtight container. It is best, though, to assemble the cookies the same day as serving in order to keep the cookies crisp..

Makes about 20 - 2 inch (5 cm) sandwiched cookies.

SOOOO YUMMMY!!!!!